


pre-emptive strike

by Mizzy



Category: Iron Man (Movies)
Genre: F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-11-02
Updated: 2011-11-02
Packaged: 2017-10-25 15:38:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,176
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/271947
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mizzy/pseuds/Mizzy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Pepper makes a mistake. She *never* makes mistakes.</p>
            </blockquote>





	pre-emptive strike

**Author's Note:**

  * For [hannasus](https://archiveofourown.org/users/hannasus/gifts).



He gets them a table at Rao's even though he doesn't have reserved table space there—he's Tony Stark. Rules that apply to regular celebrities don't apply to him. He makes sure the dress Pepper was eyeing from Dior's fall collection is hanging in her wardrobe, and he calls in a favor with the local cops to block some of the traffic so they don't have to spend an embarrassing amount of time waiting in the limousine.

So when Pepper shows up for their date in slacks and a t-shirt saying _Keep Calm and CTRL + ALT + DEL_ he's a little confused, but he goes with the flow and orders in pizza.

* * *

  
A week later, Tony's at some museum, giving out awards. It's in Pepper's diary. He knows because everything is in Pepper's diary, even the birthdates of all the staff of Stark Industries, and also because he got Jarvis to hack into it to double check.

While some video is playing a clip of a movie about Steve Rogers (ugh, please, like Captain America's costume is anywhere _near_ as cool as Iron Man), he hacks into the feed of his house on a whim, and finds Pepper writing staff evaluations in his sitting room, which Tony knows full well aren't due for another five weeks.

There's something going on in Pepper's rapid and organised brain, and Tony's going to get to the bottom of it.

* * *

  
It's a day later when Pepper forgets to go to the _one_ meeting Tony can be bothered to schedule himself, and he breaks up the meeting early, storming through the corridors to find her in the Stark Industries cafeteria, rubbing her napkin over her mouth.

She's just eaten something, and Tony can't tell what, so he swoops in close and kisses her.

"Cheese scone and latte," Tony says, landing hard in the seat opposite her, his eyes intent on her face. "I was trapped in a meeting without you because you needed baked goods and caffeine?" Pepper looks at him placidly like nothing is wrong and shit, now Tony's listing all the possible diseases in his head that she has, diseases that would render one's personality to pieces, diseases that steal voices, because she must be hiding that she's dying from him, and she's not telling him, and that's _so fair_ because he never told her about the effects of the palladium, and Tony's going to have a heart attack just thinking about it, he's already mentally pulling himself in four different ways at once and _why is Pepper laughing at him_.

"I'm not dying," she says, a laugh still in her voice, and Tony makes a completely inappropriate sound in the back of his throat that he will _deny until the end of time_. "I'm messing up."

"You're _what_ now?" Tony stares at her.

"I'm messing up," Pepper says, like she's talking about the weather or stocks or something that isn't Tony's fault. "Making mistakes?"

"I see that."

"Good," Pepper says. "Mission accomplished."

"I'm sorry, I feel like I checked out of this conversation one word in, what is this mission and does it have anything related to my sanity, because if it's a mission to extract it, I'd call it about seventeen per cent successful-"

"Tony," Pepper says, in an impatient tone this time, "stop babbling."

Tony pantomimes zipping his mouth shut and adds, "I would never zip my mouth shut. I couldn't deprive the world of how awesome I am. I think the world should be told sporadically."

"You think the world should be told frequently," Pepper amends. Tony shrugs and gives her that one. She leans closer to him, her hands folded, her elbows on the table. "I am _messing up_ ," she says, slowly and distinctly.

"I told you I'd noticed. They're hardly grievous mistakes. I can look past them. I mean, I'm a little bit peeved. Pissed off, if you will, because you're the only thing in meetings that's bearable." Tony drums his fingers on the tabletop. "But- You know, no, it's not understandable because you're perfect and you don't mess up. You just don't. So there must be something wrong with you. I can get you a doctor."

"No, Tony, I don't need a doctor."

"I could _pretend_ to be your doctor."

"No. Not now. Maybe later."

"I've registered that _later._ Jarvis, make a note of that later."

"Noted."

"Tony," Pepper says, irritation in her voice now. "Mistakes are inevitable in any relationship."

Oh, so this is talking about their _relationship_. Tony shuffles, because that's what everyone expects, not for him to go all gooey and warm and start humming the _Love Boat_ under his breath (even though it is in his _head_ , damn Rhodey's annoying ringtones.) "Yes," Tony says slowly, "and I'm going to make a million."

"Yes," Pepper says, "it's inevitable. I just thought I'd mess up first."

Tony stares at her. It's either mad or brilliant. "You did."

"Ahuh," Pepper says. "If I let you mess up first, you'd get it stuck in your strange head that you're Tony Stark, you make mistakes, especially when you're in a relationship. You have me on such a ridiculous pedestal that it would compound in your head, and you'd leave me; probably stand me up in the middle of a swanky joint in Namibia, where I don't speak the language."

"That does... sound scarily like me," Tony says, his head spinning a little. "So you messed up... to save us?"

"Mmhmm. And it's mad _and_ brilliant."

"You know me too well," Tony says, like it's a problem.

But she's right, and it's not really a problem.

That's not something Tony's going to say a lot (that Pepper's right, he mentally clarifies, because Pepper's ego is worse than his sometimes.)

"I'm going to screw up worse," Tony insists, when Pepper doesn't respond. "Big style. Your mistakes will look like child's play."

"I'm aware."

"And that isn't giving you free reign to skip any more meetings to annoy me."

"I'm _aware_."

"I'm sort of messing up right now, aren't I?"

"Just a little," Pepper says, brisk and business-like, except she spoils her feigned frosty attitude by smiling, and Tony smiles back. "But that still makes us 4-1."

Tony nods, and freezes. "I count three. The pizza instead of Rao's, the awards ceremony you missed, and this morning's meeting."

"My first mistake was dating you in the first place," Pepper says.

Tony considers that, and mentally holds it up against his usual operating procedure in circumstances like this where his heart may or may not be slightly a little bit _variably_ lightly involved in such matters.

He lets it go.

He's apparently got plenty of time to mess up ahead of him, and—thanks to Pepper—a better chance of not screwing up _worse_ as a consequence.

It doesn't mean this relationship will end up any better than the ones in his past, but it's a foundation for a better start, and Tony is hopeful. He laces his fingers with hers on the table and tells her so.


End file.
